Hey guys could anyone point me in the direction of a website that has accommadation listings for adam or surrounds,i mean permannt not short term or can anyone tell me what is the best way to get accomadation in amsterdam,is squatting a realistic option,what about a house boat- too expensive i suppose. how did you uk ex pats start out.i am thinking of coming to adam,i have some money but with no job i have to look for something.i may have to leave uk quickly, not for a bad reason just because of relation ship problems.please all suggestions are gratefully accepted.
Squatting is difficult to get into. Mostly you have to know someone already living in a squat (even then it's difficult). For long term accommodation check: http://www.expatriates.com/classifieds/amst/hs/ http://www.elynx.nl/munotices.php?nelhanda&hlto Be careful and do not give anyone money until you have the keys (and are sure that they work). There are many scammers working out of Amsterdam and the apartment scam is one of the most common. This is particularly the case during summer when many people are on holidays. The scammers break in, change the locks and advertise the apartment for rent. They then con some expat into paying a huge deposit and then they flee. Eventually the real owner will return and wonder what you're doing in their apartment. I know several people who had this happen to them, so be careful. The Amsterdam police aren't even remotely interested in helping some non dutch person who got scammed out of a few thousand euros. Keep in mind the fact that unless you're highly skilled (and speak dutch), it's very unlikely that you'll find a job that pays enough to live on. It's not impossible, but it takes a lot of luck.
Gaz, you are aware that trying to find work in Amsterdam is going to be very hard, I've looked into it myself. One of the biggest problems you will face is finding somewhere to live that's cheap. Ideally you need to have a job lined up first but on the other hand you need an address in the Netherlands as well, to register everything. ---------------------------------------------------------------- EU nationals have the right to live and work in The Netherlands without a work permit, subject to your having a work contract for the period of your stay. You are also entitled to stay in The Netherlands for 3 months (per year calculated from date of registration) in order to look for work. Within 8 days of arrival you have to get the Police to stamp your passport if you intend looking for work. Then you need a SOFI No. (Social Welfare/Taxation) from the Tax Office, where you present your passport and the Police stamp. Lastly, if you intend staying longer than 3 months you need a residence permit taking all the documents above plus proof from your landlord of permanent address. Accommodation, long and short term, look in shop windows or local newspapers or the links Jason posted above. For a fee, dedicated agencies (‘Makelaar’) will do it for you. -------------------------------------------------------------- Of course all the above is doing it legally and by the book but some just throw themselves over there and find any old job, etc. It helps if you have a skill or qualification that puts you in a better position than a Dutch speaking citizen who will understandably be offered the job vacancy first. Hope that helps, but I've looked heavily into it all myself. All the best, let us know how you get on.
It actually isn't quite that simple. Over the last 2 years I've helped 4 non dutch people (Eu and non Eu nationals) get a dutch working visa. The truth is that it's up to who you get on the day. The IND will tell you that you need to wait for your residence permit before you can get a SOFI number (which you need for a bank account), then the tax office will tell you that you must have a residence permit before you can apply for your SOFI number. In short, they try to make it as difficult as possible. However, there are ways around it. I eventually learnt how to use the system against itself. With one friend, I got him to walk straight out of the IND and over to the tax office, tell them that he already had his permit and they gave him the SOFI number on the spot! Another had to wait 4 months before he was able to even open a bank account, so a lot of it is pure luck. One thing to always keep in mind is that you should never just accept what they tell you. More often than not they will just tell you whatever they feel will generate less work for them. When I first arrived, if I got bad service at the bank, IND etc I would just put up with it and go along for the ride. After a while I learnt that if someone was being difficult (something you will have to get used to) it is best to walk away and come back when another person is on duty. I saved myself a whole lot of grief once I finally understood this. Had I known this beforehand I would have saved several thousand euros. ABN AMRO actually stole over 1000 Euros out of my account because a company (AGIS) somehow got a direct debit authority over my account and decided to charge me upfront for a whole years insurance policy which I hadn't even signed! In typical fashion I had no recourse as a 'buitenlander'. On another occasion, the internet company sent me a bill along with an account number into which the money had to be paid. I go along and pay the bill (270 Euro) only to have my internet cut off three days later. I called to ask why and I was told that my bill hadn't been paid! As it turned out, the company made a printing error on the bill and gave me the wrong account number. When I asked to be reconnected I was informed that I would have to wait the standard 14 days to be reconnected. That's right, I must wait to be reconnected because they sent me the wrong bill. To make matters worse, I then went to ABN AMRO to get my money back and they had lost the record of the transaction! I was still shocked at that point. You never totally get used to things like that, but it does help if you are prepared. My reason for all of this is the let you know that nothing is as it seems in holland (not if you're coming from US, UK or Australia anyway). In regards to Nemisis' post, I would avoid going through an agent. They uniformly charge one months rent as commission. Good luck. It's not impossible but expect to jump through some hurdles along the way.
All in all it's put me off a tiny bit, although I still havn't given up with the idea myself in trying to move there. What worries me most is it all turning out to be one friggin expensive adventure and nothing coming from it, despite having an OK qualification to take with me. Maybe one day I'll do it.?
Maybe wait till harry potter and his croonies are sent packing in the next election. Things will hopefully get better then and the anti foreigner sentiment will wear off. If you do decide to move, I would make sure that you can live for a at least 2 or 3 months without finding work. I met countless brits who had moved to amsterdam thinking that things would be sweet only to head home a few months later with their tails between their legs and drained bank accounts. If you're serious about living there, at least arrange it so that you can crash at a friends place for a few weeks after you arrive. You don't want to end up blowing all your cash on a smelly dorm room in the flying pig on niewendijk while you're looking for an apartment. Or you could just visit every now and then. If you live in UK it isn't far to travel. Amsterdam is an awesome place to visit, but living there as an expat is a whole different story.
guys,thanks for all the responses,given me something to think about and to investigate and digest,i should explain that i had planned to keep a uk bank account and use a card for living expenses,i think the internet has made the world smaller but whether the infastructure in netherlands could support this idea i dont know, it was ok when iwasin amsterdam for 5 days during queensday.Particular thanks for the scam warnings,they are becoming legendary the more i hear about them. Can anyone suggest whether it would be easier to set up just outside of amsterdam in one of the ring towns,would it be cheaper with better work prospects.A famous bbc documentary called amsterdamaged showed the one woman who set up and got on the socialwelfare in ral quick time??although i wouldnt be looking to sponge of the state as i am not doing it in the uk despite being unemployed. What about living in a van would it be safe?easy to find somewhere to park up.this is obviously a short term option. all advice gratefully accepted
on that note couldnt you camp or use a camper van or i remember seeing log cabins that were quite cheap at a campsite about 20 minutes away?? im sure a local will fill you in though!!
2 days ago i saw the polls and it turns out most people are on the left side now, so thats good news. Harry wont come back, not as a prime-minister at least.
I knew of someone who bought a cheap VW camper-van and travelled over most of Europe working their way around. It would seem a good idea to commute into the city and live outside it until you've found a job and proper accommodation then sell the Beatle-Bus when you've landed on your feet. Seems a good idea to me if you can rough it out for a while, itleast it's cheap plus you can pack up and go anywhere the work takes you. They have now worked their way down into Spain but have already seen most of Europe. Good stuff, imo. Without doubt, if your into I.T., Banking or are multi-lingual, finding work will be easier. Out of Amsterdam jobs in the farming (flowers/vegetables) industry have seasonal temporary vacancies. Of course tourism and menial pub/hotel/restaurant work is prolific too. What did you have in mind to do Gaz.?
my working carrear has been mostly labouring{building} which im no longr up to,i did 17 years--- oh no--- in a factory and dont like being trapped but being star sign taurus get easily trapped and hotel conference centre work which i love asyour always meeting new people.Ive looked at the big hotel chain websites but it looks like the east europeans and asians have got all these jobs but will keep trying.The best bet...no pun intended...is to get a laptop set up if i get a flat and lump on football betting at the weekends hoping to make 150 EUROS A WEK....EASIER SAID THENDONE as i try accumalators now and they dont work so must keep to single bets.Iknow this isnt giving much back to the dutch community but it could be a way of surviving,maybe try and get a market stall and some whole sale jewellry...there are plenty of ideas and if im desperate enough i will have to make them work. Looking at the links for accommadation on the ex pat site the rent seems to work out at about 440 euros a month which is what i would be paying in my home town in wales...yes a few of them are just a room and there are conditions attatched but it could be a way of getting settled. I can remember seeing somewhere that nijmegen is the true hip capitol of netherlands.is this true? all responses recieved with heart felt thanks... all this hassle because ive let the girl of my dreams shattter my fragile heart.
